The New York Knicks refused to bow out quietly, turning Madison Square Garden into a cauldron of hope and defiance Thursday night as they dismantled the Indiana Pacers 111-94 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. With chants of “Knicks in 7! Knicks in 7!” echoing across the arena, New York delivered a spirited performance to stay alive in the series and shift momentum heading into a crucial Game 6.
Jalen Brunson led the way with 32 points, bouncing back from a lackluster Game 4 to post his franchise-record 21st career playoff game with 30 or more points in a Knicks jersey. Karl-Anthony Towns, playing through a bruised left knee, added 24 points and 13 rebounds in a gritty effort that underscored New York’s resolve.
“It’s a testament to our team answering the call,” Towns said, reflecting on the Knicks’ ability to stave off elimination.
The Knicks’ defensive turnaround was stark. Just 48 hours after conceding 43 points in the first quarter in Indianapolis, they clamped down early and held the Pacers to only 45 points in the entire first half. Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana’s Game 4 hero with a triple-double, was held to just eight points and six assists in Game 5.
“Our backs were against the wall. So, I mean, we’ve got to give it everything we got,” Brunson said, summing up the urgency that fueled the Knicks’ resurgence.
Brunson got off to a hot start, scoring 14 points in the first quarter to help the Knicks to a 27-23 lead — a vast improvement from their porous opening in Game 4. Towns took over in the second quarter with 12 points as Brunson cooled, but the Knicks maintained control.
When the Pacers made a push in the third quarter, trimming a 20-point lead to 10, the Knicks responded with a 12-0 run punctuated by Brunson’s four-point play, reestablishing dominance at 86-64.
Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 off the bench for Indiana, but their shooting woes — just 40.5% from the field — stalled any hopes of a comeback.
“We obviously didn’t play with the level of force that we needed to,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “We lost the rebound battle. We lost the turnover battle. We didn’t shoot well. They had a lot to do with it.”
The Knicks now head to Indiana for Game 6, with renewed belief and history within reach. Down 3-2, New York eyes the possibility of becoming just the 14th team to overturn a 3-1 series deficit — and the first to ever do so after losing the first two games at home in a conference finals.
